TY - JOUR
T1 - Depression in treated narcotic addicts, ex-addicts, nonaddicts, and suicide attempters
T2 - Validation of a very brief depression scale
AU - Mintz, Jim
AU - O'brien, Charles P.
AU - Woody, George
AU - Beck, Aaron T.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1979
Y1 - 1979
N2 - Samples of heroin-addicted veterans in treatment at a VA drug clinic, ex-addict and nonaddict Vietnam veterans followed-up after return to the United States, and male suicide attempters who were not drug abusers completed a very short (five item) form of the Beck Depression Inventory developed for screening and research purposes. Results confirmed prior findings of high rates of depression among narcotic addicts in treatment. Two samples of patients assessed at intake to treatment did not differ significantly from the suicidal patients in BDI-S scores. Methadone maintenance patients and ex-addicts scored below those groups, but higher than nonaddicts. Relief of inner tensions or worries was chosen most frequently as the reason for continuing use of narcotics by patients in treatment, suggesting that self-medication for psychiatric problems may be common. The BDI-S proved to be an efficient method for screening for depression in these samples, and thus might be useful in clinical or research settings when a very brief method is needed.
AB - Samples of heroin-addicted veterans in treatment at a VA drug clinic, ex-addict and nonaddict Vietnam veterans followed-up after return to the United States, and male suicide attempters who were not drug abusers completed a very short (five item) form of the Beck Depression Inventory developed for screening and research purposes. Results confirmed prior findings of high rates of depression among narcotic addicts in treatment. Two samples of patients assessed at intake to treatment did not differ significantly from the suicidal patients in BDI-S scores. Methadone maintenance patients and ex-addicts scored below those groups, but higher than nonaddicts. Relief of inner tensions or worries was chosen most frequently as the reason for continuing use of narcotics by patients in treatment, suggesting that self-medication for psychiatric problems may be common. The BDI-S proved to be an efficient method for screening for depression in these samples, and thus might be useful in clinical or research settings when a very brief method is needed.
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U2 - 10.3109/00952997909007051
DO - 10.3109/00952997909007051
M3 - Article
C2 - 549468
AN - SCOPUS:0018562606
VL - 6
SP - 385
EP - 396
JO - American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
JF - American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
SN - 0095-2990
IS - 4
ER -